Musical Magic
by SapphireStarshine
Summary: Step right up and get your tickets for, Musical Magic The Harry Potter Musical. Come see the students and teachers express their feelings through song and watch as the students battle with their feelings for each other.
1. A Worry and a Welcome

**Musical Magic**

**A Hogwarts Musical **

**A Worry and A Welcome**

Act One, Scene One

Professor McGonagall paced in front of the staff table as she read and re-read the list on the piece of parchment before her. She had never felt quite so nervous before and she had no idea why. Maybe it was the fact that she would be Headmistress this year, because Professor Snape had killed the previous head, Professor Dumbledore – on his wishes – or maybe it was the fact that her lover and best friend would no longer be there to hold her stern character together. Oh how she missed her gentle Albus.

"Minerva, will you stop worrying?" came a gentle voice from behind the staff table. It was Darren Ross, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He was gorgeous. He was young, about twenty-two, with shoulder length, sandy hair and subtle, calm green eyes. He had a perfectly soft jaw line and body to melt hearts.

McGonagall wasn't too sure if employing him had been the wisest of choices. He had the ability to either distract his female students from their studies, or encourage them to work extra hard to impress him. But then he also had the ability to make the boys rebel against him in jealousy. She would have to see how well he could handle his hormonal teenage students.

"I can't help it, Darren," she replied, still pacing, "There are far too many students this year, almost double last year's amount." She bit her lower lip gently. She knew exactly why there were so many students this year. After the defeat of Voldemort last summer, parents were not only happy to sent their children to a safe school because the Dark Lord was gone, but also because Harry Potte would be there. At the start of the summer she had received hundreds of letters and howlers from parents exclaiming that their children wouldn't be attending Hogwarts any more now that Dumbledore was dead and wouldn't be there to protect them.

"Why don't you just take some of the children off the list then?" Darren replied curiously. McGonagall glared at him. She could never do that to the hopeful children, eager to learn the ways of magic. McGonagall turned to face Darren fully and began to sing.

"_I believe these children are our future, _

_We teach them well and let them lead the way. _

_We show them all the magic they possess inside. _

_We give them a sense of pride; we make it easier. _

_Let the children's laughter, remind us how things used to be."_

Darren, who had stood up before, had slowly resumed his seat. His face seemed to be in awe as McGonagall continued to sing to him, quite unaware that the other teachers had stopped his or her conversations and were now watching her, either with a proud smile or with the same awed expression that Darren wore.

"_I decided long ago always to walk in Dumbledore's shadow. _

_If I fail, if I succeed; at least I'll live as I believe. _

_No matter what they take from me, they can't take away my dignity."_

All the teachers had begun to smile, probably glad that she will 'walk in Dumbledore's shadow'.

"_Because the greatest love of all is one my heart will rule._

_I found the greatest love of all within this school."_

Professor Sprout stood and walked around the table to embrace Minerva in a gentle hug as she finished her song with a sigh.

"We all feel the same, Minerva, and we will all help you share the load." As the other teachers nodded in agreement, Madam Pomfrey walked briskly though the door to the left of the staff table.

"The students have arrived, Minerva." she said in her usual clipped tone. And no sooner had she disappeared through the same door than the students from the years 2nd to 7th began to pile though the doors of the great hall in a noisy clatter. Minerva took a deep breath and exited the main hall through the sea of black, red, blue, gold, yellow, silver and green, and into the Entrance Hall, closing the door behind her. As the noise of the older students subsided, Minerva straightened her robes and had and readied herself for her first year as Hogwarts Headmistress.

"Show time," she whispered to herself as a herd of shaking and nervous students piled their way into the Entrance Hall.

Act One, Scene Two

Ron sat holding his fork in his right hand and his knife in his left hand and stared at his empty plate, willing food to appear. He didn't care what it was, as long as it was edible. He'd even eat cold gruel if he had to, just to stop his stomach from grumbling angrily at him.

"Turkey? Pork? Potatoes, chicken, rice … anything!" he moaned as his stomach growled loudly. It had once again been a mad rush from the Weasley household this morning and Ron had only managed to snag one thin slice of toast. Miss Prissy Hermione, however, had woken up half an hour earlier to cook herself some sausage and bacon sarnies and hadn't even had the common courtesy to wake him and Harry up for some.

"You need to learn to give yourself time to get all you need ready when you wake up, Ronald," she had exclaimed on the train after Ron had shouted at her for gloating about it. Usually Harry would have bought him some snacks from the food trolley on the train, but his mind had been elsewhere (coughHermionecough). He had been stealing glances at her like she would move away any minute, ever since they had all defeated Voldemort. Poor guy just didn't seem to know how to talk to her about it. Ron couldn't blame him, seeing as Hermione seemed completely oblivious to Harry's subtle hints. Ron thought himself quite lucky to have his Luna, seeing as it was her that had asked him out.

He chanced a glance over at the Ravenclaw table and saw that his Luna was staring dreamily at him. With a lovely smile, she waved at him and blew him a kiss. Ron pretended to catch the imaginary kiss and smiled at her before turning back towards Harry and Hermione.

"There are well more students than last year," Harry moaned as his stomach also growled with dissatisfaction.

"Thanks to us," Hermione whispered with as proud smile. Ron was about to ask her how it had anything to do with them, when Harry shouted, "Finally!" Ron looked up towards the staff table as the last first-year student (a Ravenclaw) had taken her seat.

As McGonagall stood up, after Professor Flitwick removed the sorting hat from the hall, Ron prayed that she wouldn't give a long-winded speech. He was so bloody hungry; he was sure his gut would eat its way through his skin.

"In the words of Professor Dumbledore," she said loudly as the whole hall hushed, "Dig in!"

"Hear, hear!" Ron and Harry exclaimed as their plates and jugs exploded with all different types of savory foods and drinks.

"Food!" Ron shouted as he began to pile his plate sky high with steaks, roast potatoes and rice.

"_Food, glorious food! Hot sausage and mustard. _

_While we're in the mood, cold jelly and custard._

_Peas, gravy and hot roast goose, what next shall I eat?_

_Mashed potatoes and pumpkin juice, both with a large piece of meat!"_

As Ron dived into his full plate of food, Harry, who had just emptied his, began to pile it up again while he sang.

"Food, glorious food. We're anxious to try it. 

_Three banquets a day; our favorite diet._

_Wow, look at this great big steak, I love it fried or stewed …"_

All of the boys along the Gryffindor table looked up from their large plates stacked with different types of food and began to join in.

"Oh food, wonderful food, marvelous food, glorious food! Food, glorious food, what is there more handsome? 

_Gulped, swallowed or chewed … _

_Still worth a girls ransom …"_

All the girls in the Great Hall looked up and either tutted at the boys, made other sounds of annoyance or rolled their eyes as all of the boys within the Great Hall had taken a break from scoffing food down their throats to join in with the song.

"What is it we dream about? What brings on a sigh? 

_Piled mash with peas and gravy, stacked about six feet high._

_Oh food, glorious food, eat right though the menu, _

_Just loosen your belt, two inches and then you _

_Work up a new appetite, in this interlude … _

_The food, once again food, fabulous food, glorious food!"_

As all of the boys continued to scoff down their food as though they hadn't been fed in years, all of the girls had become quite touchy with them. Ron wondered if they were somehow offended, although if they were, he couldn't figure out why.

Act One: Scene Three

Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the food had dissolved into the tables, leaving nothing but clean plates and cutlery. Harry sighed with satisfaction as he looked towards the staff table. McGonagall had vacated her seat and was once again addressing the school.

"I know that I am no Dumbledore when it comes to speeches, but I hope you will bear with me." The students sat quietly and listened respectfully. McGonagall had always garnered a certain amount of respect from her students, but after Dumbledore's death, she seemed to have gained a whole lot more. It may have been because she was the new Headmistress, or maybe it was the sympathy that everyone felt towards her, as she, like Harry, had lost someone very, very close to her.

"I would firstly like to introduce your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Ross." A tall man with shoulder length, sandy hair stood up and nodded to each house table with a smile. The whole hall seemed to gasp suddenly. No, wait … all the girls had gasped suddenly, and Harry could see why. The new teacher was very young and quite OK looking. Harry stole a sneaky glance at Hermione while Professor Ross took his seat. Harry nearly sighed with relief. Hermione didn't seem in the least bit interested in the new teacher. In fact, while all the other girls in the hall were fluffing their hair, fixing their make-up or glancing dreamily at Professor Ross, Hermione was glaring at all the shallow girls and shaking her head with disapproval.

Harry almost laughed. Thank God for that; the last thing he wanted was competition. He was so glad that he fancied a girl that not only had brains, but also wasn't shallow and superficial. Hermione was perfect.

"Secondly," McGonagall continued, "I would like to give you all the usual warnings and events. Mr. Filch has once again extended his list of forbidden things, and although half of you won't, I would advise you to check the list located on his office door to know what you are and are not allowed to have within the castle walls."

"Too right we won't check," Ron whispered. Harry wanted to laugh, but suppressed it after seeing the look on Hermione's face. He didn't want to make a bad impression. When she turned her attention to McGonagall again, he stared at her beautiful face. If it weren't for Hermione, he would not be alive today. Harry owed her so much. Harry loved her so much.

"The forbidden forest is out of bounds, as usual, and Quidditch tryouts will take place from the 10th to the 14th of September. All Quidditch students from last year will please check their common room notice boards to find out which students are the Quidditch captains this year, and the days in which their house will host the tryouts."

"Ah wicked! You'll be captain again, won't you Harry?" Ron asked excitedly.

"I … think so," he replied, his gaze directed at the table as Hermione turned his way.

"I'm sure you will be captain again, Harry," Hermione said with a smile. "You were captain last year, so they should have no reason to change you." Harry could have melted on the spot.

"Now as I am sure you are tired, you are all excused. Get a good night's rest," McGonagall said before turning to talk to her fellow colleagues.

Harry, Ron and Hermione all stood up and sighed. As Harry and Hermione were head girl and boy, and Ron was a prefect, it was their job to once again guide the new students to their common rooms. Ron began calling to all the first years to follow him, as did Parvati Patil, the female Gryffindor prefect, while Harry and Hermione went to the back of the herd of students. They were to wait until the entire hall was clear before closing the doors behind them.

As they slowly followed the last few students out of the great hall, Harry turned to Hermione. "You … erm … your hair … it looks really nice, Hermione," he stammered. Hermione smiled at him for a while before replying. "Thank you Harry, I straightened it last night … just to … er experiment, you know."

They smiled at each other most of the way up to the common room, although they had to take a detour as Peeves was zooming around using quills as darts and trying to hit lost first years.

As they entered the common room, Hermione said goodnight to Harry, and gave him, what he thought was a special smile just for him. Ron was seated by the fire in his favorite armchair, and gave Harry one of his 'ooh-I-saw-that' looks.

It seemed as though the Gryffindors didn't want to sleep. Everyone was up talking and partying. Most of the students gathered round Ron and Harry to ask them their account on how they defeated Voldemort. Harry left it to Ron to tell the story, as he loved doing so. He didn't feel much like reliving that awful experience.

"So there we were, surrounded by about 45 death eaters, and there were only five of us," he was telling the eager listening first years and a couple of awed fifth years. Ron was, of course, over-enthusiastic about the whole thing. There were probably 28 Death Eaters at the most and they were scattered all over the place, fighting different members of the Order of the Phoenix.

"They were all getting ready to hit us with the Cruciatus Curse, but then Hermione made a distraction. She …"

"She is very tired and can't sleep because someone is telling a people a story that can be told in the morning," snapped Hermione from the bottom of the girls' staircase. Harry nearly fainted right there and then. She was in a silky blue night robe that fell just past her knees. Harry's heart threatened to beat right out of his chest at the thought of what she was wearing underneath that.

"Sorry, Hermione, but these guys want to hear the rest of the story." Ron said as he leaned back in the armchair with pride. He did enjoy having attention.

Hermione glared at them all. "It is nearly three in the morning! We all have to get up for breakfast and our timetables and you all won't go to sleep, or let me sleep." She moaned. "Even some of the other girls in my dormitory can hear you and are complaining. It's not fair."

"Sorry, Hermione but we aren't tired," Ron argued. Hermione looked exasperated and very tired. Then her facial expression changed. She made her way over to the armchair where Harry sat and sat on the arm of it.

"So you're not tired, eh? Well how about if I sing you a little song then? Seeing as your going to stay awake, I might as well do."

This seemed to strike a little confusion within the group of Gryffindors. They all began to wonder, Harry included, what Hermione was planning. Hermione rested her arm gently upon Harry's shoulder and faced the group.

"_Stay awake, don't rest your head. Don't lie down upon your bed. _

_Though the moon drifts in the skies, stay awake, don't close your eyes."_

It was the most extraordinary thing. The entire group of boy's suddenly began to feel very sleepy. Hermione's singing was so … slow, harmonic and soothing that, it just seemed to put the whole group to sleep. Harry struggled to keep his eyes open. He wanted to hear the rest of the song. Hermione's voice sent a warm tingle down his spine.

"_Though the world is fast asleep, though your pillows are soft and deep,_

_You're not sleepy as you seem, stay awake, don't nod and dream._

_Stay awake, don't nod and dream."_

Everyone's eyes were either closed or getting there. "I'm going to bed." One of them said slowly. As the others nodded in agreement and shuffled up to their dormitories, Hermione glanced smugly at Ron, who had actually fallen asleep in the armchair.

"I'll wake him up," Harry said gently as Hermione giggled quietly. She smiled and gave him a brief hug.

"Thanks, Harry. Goodnight."

Harry stared after her until she had disappeared up the stairs and out of sight. Then with a gentle sigh, he proceeded to wake Ron up and drag him to his bed.

**End of Chapter One**


	2. So much Love, Too much Hate

**So Much Love, Too Much Hate**

Act One, Scene Four

After collecting their timetables the next morning and finding out that their first lesson of the day was double Defence Against the Dark Arks, with the Slytherins, Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way reluctantly to the third floor, yawning along the way. None of them actually wanted to see a load of girls swarm and giggle over the new teacher, nor to hear the snide remarks of their nemesis, Draco Malfoy.

Although Hermione had cleverly put the boys to sleep the previous night by singing them a soothing lullaby, she was still quite angry with them for waking her up in the first place. Well that wasn't actually true; she was angry with Ron, seeing as he was the one sitting up and boasting about the defeat of Voldemort. She hadn't actually said a word about it to Harry all morning, let alone shouted at him, whereas Ron, on the other hand, had received the full power of her wrath. She didn't have the heart to do it to Harry.

By the time they got to their lesson, all three of them were yawning endlessly. They took their usual seats at the back of the classroom, pulled out their books and wands, as they were unsure of the teaching approach that Professor Ross would take, and waited impatiently. Well, Hermione waited impatiently while Ron and Harry talked over her about Quidditch tryouts. Not only was Hermione tired and grumpy, but also the teacher was four minutes late.

"Where the hell is he?" she whispered harshly to Harry, who sat on her right. It was bad manners for any teacher to turn up late on his or her first day. Plus, it created such a bad reputation.

"No need to get so impatient, Granger," came a snide voice from her far right. She turned to see Draco sitting next to Blaise Zabini, who was grinning for some reason. Hermione decided to ignore them. Besides, Draco had no right being mean to her after this summer.

At six minutes past nine, Professor Ross burst through the office door at the back of the room, holding a large cage with a white sheet over it. Hermione sighed and hoped that this wouldn't be like the lesson in her second year when Professor Lockhart had released a load of Cornish Pixies onto the class, and had then left Hermione, Harry and Ron to sort them out. It seemed she wasn't the only one to remember this experience; she heard a few members of the class whisperering in hushed tones, things like, "Oh Merlin, I hope its not the pixies again" … "Gosh, what do you think he's got under there?" … "I dunno, but it better not be Pixies."

Due to the fact that the whole female population of students seemed to have fallen head-over-wands for the new professor (_Bunch of idiotic, shallow cows …_), the first two and a half rows of desks were occupied by all the girls in the class. And that included those from Slytherin. That included Pansy Parkinson! Hermione had actually seen Lavender and Pansy fighting for the centre desk in the front row, (Pansy had won, obviously) while the boys and Hermione had chosen to occupy the two back rows.

"Good morning, my first class, and welcome to your last year at Hogwarts." Some of the girls moaned quietly, obviously upset that they would only get one year with Professor Ross. Hermione rolled her eyes, wishing that he would just get on with the bloody lesson. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry glance at her and smile. She didn't dare face him just yet, Harry was sure to distract her and she wanted to concentrate on her lesson. Harry was sure to drag her thoughts to the kiss …

"I would like to ask you all a question before we start, as I do not know much about Hogwarts School." The other girls sighed and Hermione nearly tutted in annoyance.

_Just get on with the flipping lesson. _

"Could someone tell me who your favourite Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was?"

Every female hand shot into the air, including Hermione's.

"The lady at the back?" He said as he pointed to her. _HA!_ She thought to all the stupid girls that sighed again and looked dejected. Even with no make-up on, and hidden behind all the students of the class, she was still picked first to answer a question.

"I think I speak for the whole class, sir, when I say that our favourite teacher for this lesson was Professor Lupin, who took charge of our third year." Professor Ross smiled as the rest of the class nodded in agreement, took a white file from his desk and flicked through it.

"Ah, Professor Lupin … Red Kaps and Boggarts … a Werewolf …" The whole class held their breath as he said this. If he said a bad word against Professor Lupin they would charge him straight out of the school. Well … at least the boys and Hermione would; the rest of the girls seemed too hung on his looks to really care.

"Very well," he said with as smile as he looked up to face the class. "If you prefer his approach then I shall try my best to follow in his footsteps. Now, what I have here in this cage is a Ruby Grubner. Can anyone tell me what that is?"

Hermione bit her lip in frustration as the whole class turned to face her. She had definitely heard that name before. She clenched her fists as she tried to remember where she had read about Ruby Grubners and what they were.

"Hermione, are you OK?" Harry asked her gently. She looked at him briefly and nodded. She would not allow this to be the first time that she didn't know an answer to something.

Then suddenly the answer shot straight into her head and her arm flew into the air with such force that she nearly hit Ron in the face, and nearly fell off her own chair.

Professor Ross smiled as he pointed to her. "Yes, to the lady at the back again?"

"A Ruby Grubner is one of the rarest dark creatures known to wizards. They are usually found in the sewers of very hot countries; for example, the Caribbean, Australia or South Africa. Ruby Grubners apparently look like small, red pixies and they appear in people's households after sneaking in through pipes or toilets to attack them with their deadly saliva and claws. If touched by their saliva or scratched by their long, sharp claws, a witch, wizard or Muggle could end up with a fatal wound that will spout blue gunk and cause the infected torso to swell to five times its natural size." Hermione smiled with satisfaction and so did Professor Ross, while the other girls glared at her in jealousy.

"Fantastic! Simply fantastic. I wasn't actually expecting anyone to know that. What is your name, miss?"

"Hermione Granger, sir."

"Ah, Miss Granger!" He replied suddenly. "I have heard so many praises about you. Smartest witch in your year apparently. Well, your reputation precedes you. Thirty points to Gryffindor."

"Well done, Hermione," Harry whispered as he put his hand on her right arm. Hermione turned to face him and smiled. He looked so handsome when his smile touched the corners of his eyes.

"Well, well, if it isn't the pathetic lovers." Hermione, Harry and Ron all turned to the right expecting to see a familiar face glaring at them.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Harry whispered harshly. But he got a slight shock, as did Hermione, when they all turned to see Blaise Zabini glaring at them. As Hermione glanced past him, she could see Draco sitting quietly and staring at Harry's hand, which was still resting upon her forearm. Hermione self-consciously removed her arm from beneath Harry's.

"Blind as well as stupid are you, Potter? You might want to change your glasses."

"And you might want to change your attitude, Zabini. Of all the people to imitate, 'Mad Malfoy' is not the best choice. You might just end up like his idiotic father and his 'Dark Lord'.

Hermione couldn't help but giggle a little. She noticed that Ron was snickering too. She saw Draco straighten and glare at Harry. The crack about his father must have knocked him out of his little trance, but before he had a chance to retaliate, Parvati, who was tilting her head to get a better view of Professor Ross's arse as he bent over to pick up his dropped quill, had broken into song.

"_Ladies, read my mind, this professor's all mine,_

_You touch him and you'll find, were heading for war. _

_This teacher is perfect, I'm so gonna work it, _

_This feller is worth it, so I might break the law." _

Pansy laughed at Parvati and turned to face Professor Ross with a sigh.

"_You're call's late, big mistake, _

_You gotta hang about outside for as long as I take, _

_To take my time, make him mine … he's so not into you._

_I'm a gift-wrapped kitty-cat, I only turn into a tiger when he wants to fuck and … _

_That's too bad for you, I know your feelin' blue." _

Hermione rolled her eyes. Oh please. Pansy Parkinson … a kitty-cat? Harry and Ron were obviously trying to hold in fits of laughter. Hermione didn't at all find it funny.

Parvati glared at Pansy, before continuing.

"_Sir, come take my hand, understand that you can,_

_You're my man and I need you tonight."_

Pansy glared right back and stuck her middle finger up at Pavati before she continued.

"_Sir, make my dreams, Honey, hard as it seems, _

_Lovin' me is as easy as pie."_

They both then glanced at their admirer, who was completely oblivious to the girls' blatant means of getting his attention, and sang the next part in unison.

"_I'll be your love machine, feed me your fantasy, _

_Then give me a kiss … or three, and I'm fine. _

_Then I'll need a squeeze a day, while in a negligee _

_What will the students say, next time?"_

Ron and Harry were almost beside themselves with laughter. Ron was barely sitting on his chair. As Hermione glanced around the room, she could see that all of the boys in fact were holding their stomachs and snickering. Could these idiotic girls not see what the boys thought of them?

While Pansy and Pavarti glared at each other with their hands on their wands, Lavender, who was using her wand to draw sparkly pink heart shapes in the air, decided to join in.

"_I've been going crazy while you sleep, _

_Searching for a classroom so the two of us can speak. _

_Mr. Oh-so-handsome, make your pole … _

_Stand up oh-so-tall so you can drive it though my hole."_

Well, that set the boys off completely. The room erupted with silent laughter. Even Hermione had to fight back a smile, while she scolded the two boys on either side of her and told them to be quiet. The girls however, seemed quite disgusted. Chantelle Grandi, a skinny Slytherin with white blonde hair, poked Lavender hard in the arm, before joining in.

"_You're call's late, big mistake, _

_You gotta hang about outside for as long as I take, _

_To take my time, make him mine … he's so not into you._

_I'm a gift-wrapped kitty-cat, I only turn into a tiger when he wants to fuck and … _

_That's too bad for you, I know your feelin' blue." _

Another Slytherin girl decided to join in the musical. Hermione put her head in her hands and sighed. Why were girls so shallow, superficial and just plain stupid?

"_Sir, take my hand, understand that you can,_

_You're my man and I need you tonight._

_Sir, make my dreams, Honey, hard as it seems, _

_Lovin' me is as easy as pie."_

Then, all the girls sung in unison while giving each other the utmost evil looks. Some of the Slytherin girls were swearing at the Gryffindors, while the Gryffindor girls were shaking their fists, indicating that the Slytherin girls were 'wankers'. Hermione sat amongst the idiotic girls and the laughing boys and sighed.

"_I'll be your love machine, feed me your fantasy, _

_Then give me a kiss … or three, and I'm fine. _

_Then I'll need a squeeze a day, while in a negligee _

_What will the students say, next time?"_

Hermione stood up. She had had quite enough of this immaturity.

"Sir … you were going to tell us how to defend ourselves against Ruby Grubners?"

Professor Ross looked up. He had been tending to the creature in the cage. He smiled at her and nodded. "Yes, of course. Ok, settle, students, and we shall proceed."

Act One, Scene Five 

"Class dismissed!"

Draco listened intently as Hermione told Harry and Ron that she had a free period, while they complained about having to go to Divination. That meant Hermione would go to the library to look up more information on Ruby Grubner's. He knew what she was like. Draco had admired her for quite a long time.

He told Blaise that he needed to have a word with Professor Ross. Blaise had stared at him suspiciously but then eventually left for Herbology with the Hufflepuffs.

When he had left, Draco began to walk slowly towards the greenhouses. He couldn't care less if he was late and he couldn't care more about Hermione. He just wanted a few minutes alone to think about her.

His mind had been stuck on her beautiful body since she had saved his life during the battle during the summer. He had disobeyed his master and was put under the Cruciatus curse by Bellatrix for almost three whole minutes. It may not have seemed like a lot to anyone else, but when a person endures such an immense amount of pain, it feels more like three years.

It was then, thank Merlin, that the whole group of students that had called themselves, 'Dumbledore's Army' in the fifth year arrived.

All of them began throwing spells at the death eaters, but it was Hermione who had hit Bellatrix from behind with a Stupefy spell. Draco could barely move, as he was in so much pain, but he managed to pull his stupid mask off, allowing Hermione to see who he was. And without hesitation or even a gasp of surprise, she had helped him up and dragged him away from the war.

The battle had taken place within the Hogwarts grounds, and Hermione had managed to drag Draco around to the other side of the grand castle, where he was completely safe out of sight of his fellow Death Eaters.

She sat him down against the wall and pulled a small, metal flask out of her back pocket.

"It's water," she whispered breathlessly as she handed it to him. Draco wasn't sure whether or not to believe her at first, but he soon told himself not to be so completely stupid. Bellatrix was well known for torturing people to insanity, like the Longbottoms. Hermione had just saved him from what he thought of as a fate worse than death.

"Thank you," he said weakly as he drank from the flask. Hermione then pulled a bar of chocolate from her jacket pocket and gave him the whole thing. Draco took it gratefully as she stood up, glancing around the dark grounds. She then looked at him once again.

"Stay here until you feel strong enough to move, Draco. I'm not going to tell you that you have to help us, or anything; that's your prerogative. I will however tell you that after what I saw, I think you should go somewhere safe. We … will deal with Bellatrix.

And with that, she had gone … leaving Draco to his unhappy and very confused thoughts.

As Draco wandered though the hallways, not really caring whether he was going in the right direction or not, he began to wonder how he could make Hermione see his true feelings, when she was so set on thinking that he was an evil little bastard. He couldn't really blame her, on reflection; especially after all of the times he had called her a Mudblood.

He turned into a dimly lit corridor on the third floor which had only one window and only two doors; one at the start of it and one towards the end. Feeling quite confused, Draco took a deep breath and began to sing quietly.

"_I'm obsessive when just one thought of her comes up, _

_I'm aggressive just one thought of closing up, _

_She's got me stressing, incessantly pressing the issue_

_Hermione, every moment gone you know I miss you. _

_I'm the question and she's of course the answer_

_Just hold me close Hermione; I'm your tiny dancer_

_She's got me shaken up, never mistaken _

_But I can't control myself, she's got me calling out for help."_

Draco walked slowly though the hall. His thoughts were so wrapped around Hermione, that he didn't notice the first door he passed, open just a crack.

"_S.O.S. please someone help me. It's not healthy … for me to feel this way, _

_Y.O.U. are making this hard, I can't take it, girl it don't feel right. _

_S.O.S please someone help me. It's not healthy … for me to feel this way, _

_Y.O.U are making this hard, you got me tossin' and turnin', can't sleep at night."_

He carried on towards the end of the corridor, complexly oblivious to the fact that two people were quietly following him, listening intently to his song.

_This time please someone come and rescue me, _

'_Cause she's on my mind, she's got me losing it. _

_I'm lost, she got me lookin' for the rest of me, _

_Love is testing me but I'm still losing it."_

Draco sighed heavily as he reached the end of the corridor. He would make Hermione see not only how much he was thankful for her saving him, and not telling the other two annoying musketeers that she permanently hung around with, but he would also show her just how much he loved her. He knew that Harry liked her too and that he was up against some serious competition, but he did enjoy taking on a challenge every now and then.

Act One, Scene Six 

Ginny looked at Cho Chang with a shocked expression. She had had a feeling that Draco had a crush on someone; he was a boy of course, it was inevitable, but she would never have imagined that it was Hermione Granger.

"Oh Gin, I'm sorry," Cho said quietly. Only three people knew about Ginny's crush on Draco; Cho, her best friend Thea and Hermione.

Cho was still at the school, on a teacher-training course. She had graduated last year but wanted to continue as a teacher at Hogwarts. She now had to go through two years of training, during the second of which she got to be a substitute teacher if one of the Professors fell ill. There was apparently only one other student to stay on this year (a Hufflepuff), and Neville had been exceptionally happy when Cho had explained this all to him. He told everyone he knew after that he would stay on to be a Herbology teacher.

Cho knew about Ginny's crush because she had overheard Ginny discussing ways to get Draco to notice her with Thea, after a Slug-Club meeting. She had promised not to say a word and had decided to help.

"It's OK. I'm sure he will give up once he realises that she's not interested in him," Ginny said quietly. She wasn't too sure if she believed this. Draco was definitely someone who always found a way to get what he wanted.

Cho had gone silent. When Ginny turned to look at her, she was scowling at the floor.

"Gosh, that prissy cow gets in everyone's way!"

Ginny tried to hold back a smile. Cho had hated Hermione ever since her sixth year, when she had gone on a date with Harry for Valentines Day and he had left her to go and meet Hermione. She always told everyone that Hermione was the reason she and Harry had stopped dating … and talking.

"Don't worry, Gin," she said sharply, "we'll make sure Draco forgets all about Little Miss Perfect."

Ginny didn't dislike Hermione as much as Cho, but she was finding her quite annoying lately. They had had an argument just before the Battle, when Hermione had scorned her for putting on lipstick! At the time, Ginny hadn't known that everyone was planning to move out and get ready for war; she had just returned from seeing a friend. But Hermione, Little Miss Know-it-all, had obviously though that Ginny was being superficial by putting make-up on.

That was the last day they had spoken, really. Even after the war, Ginny had avoided her in case she tried to tell her that her dress sense wasn't appropriate or some shit like that.

"That girl is so annoying," Cho said as she began to imitate Hermione by holding her hand high in the air. "Please sir, ask me to answer the question or I might just piss myself."

Ginny laughed as the two of them made their way to the Library. They were not only going to plan how to get Draco to notice Ginny, but also how to get Harry away from Miss Prissy and back in love with Cho.

**End of Chapter Two**

**AN:**

**Links to the songs within the chapter.**

(Disclaimer: I forgot to put this in my first chapter: None of the songs belong to me, neither do the characters.)

CHAPTER ONE

The Greatest Love of All – By Whitney Houston. ( Glorious food – From the musical 'Oliver Twist'. ( Awake – From the musical 'Mary Poppins'. ( TWO

Love Machine – By Girls Aloud. ( – By Rhianna. ( remember, theses video links do not belong to me, I take absolutely no credit for them, and they are only for reference towards the songs. Just in case you would like to hear what the songs sound like, if you do not already know, or if you would like to sing my adapted lyrics along with the music. (That's what I love to do )


	3. Memories: Means Appologies

**Memories: Means Apologies **

Act Two: Scene One

According to the notices that appeared regarding Quidditch tryouts, Gryffindor were to host theirs on the second day out of the four that were mentioned (Ravenclaw were first). So, on Sunday 11th of September, Harry, Ron and Ginny made their way down to the Quiddtch pitch to meet the others.

Harry was still captain, which he was quite glad about, but he had to replace two of the Gryffindor chasers this year, and that was something he wasn't really looking forward to. The idea of the upcoming afternoon was beginning to bring on a headache. Plus, Ginny was asking him questions that he didn't feel comfortable answering.

"Who do you think Hermione likes? I mean _likes_, likes? I know she likes someone but she won't tell me."

"I don't know, Ginny," Harry replied, feeling slightly exasperated. Ron was ignoring her completely.

"Do you think she fancies someone in Gryff?"

"I don't know, Ginny."

"Do you think she still likes Victor Krum?"

"I don't know, Ginny."

"Do you think she will ask someone from our house to the Christmas ball?"

"I don't know, Ginny."

"Do you think its Dean Thomas? He's apparently a good dancer."

"I don't know, Ginny!" He was beginning to get annoyed at all these stupid questions about whom Hermione liked. Harry really didn't want to hear it.

"I mean, I know that Malfoy fancies her …"

"I DON'T KN… YOU WHAT?" Harry and Ron shouted at the same time. They both advanced on her, shock and confusion obviously showing in their facial expressions.

"What the hell ever gave you that idea, Ginny?" Harry asked curiously.

"I hear things …" she replied with a shrug and continued to walk through the main doors and out into the castle grounds. Harry stood shocked a moment before chasing after her with Ron hot on his heels. Malfoy fancied Hermione? His Hermione? No Way! There had to be a mistake.

Ginny wouldn't tell him anything else about what she knew. Whenever he asked her anything about it, she simply smiled and said, "I don't know, Harry." He wanted to slap it out of her, but he knew that Ron would eat him alive. Ron always was protective of his little sister. He had nearly killed Harry when he told Ron that he didn't fancy Ginny anymore, but instead had feelings for Hermione. Thank Dumbledore they had a strong friendship. Harry couldn't help his feelings for the bushy haired Gryffindor; she had captured his heart that night that they had shared their first kiss, and he was sure he had captured hers. And there was no way Harry was going to let greasy-haired Malfoy get in the way.

After a long, gruelling and annoying four hours of tryouts, Harry and the rest of the members of his Quidditch team trudged tiredly back to the changing rooms. He had hoped that either Ginny or Hermione would wait around for him so that he could talk to them, but neither had. He packed away his broom and headed off to his bed. He didn't feel much like eating today. Hermione seemed to occupy every thought and feeling he possessed. He had to think of a way to make her see how much she meant to him … before Malfoy could intervene and make it worse.

Act Two: Scene Two

Draco paced back and forth outside of the library doors. He occasionally pressed his face against the glass to get a peek inside. Yes, she was still there, studying away. Oh, how he admired her intelligence. He loved the fact that she wasn't a shallow little cow who cared only about her looks and what the new idiotic teacher thought of her. No, Hermione Granger had class. And she didn't give a rat's tits what people thought of her, as long as she was getting good grades.

But how was he going to tell her this?

Draco slapped himself once around the face … hard. _Come on, you big Hufflepuff! Just go in there and talk to her. Bump into her and start a conversation. You can do it!_

Draco walked into the library. He hoped that he looked confident. Hermione was sitting at a table by the window, and thank Merlin, she was right in front of a large bookshelf. Draco walked over to the bookshelf and moved down the aisle so that he ended up right behind where Hermione was sitting.

She hadn't noticed him. Damn!

He took a book off the shelf and slyly let it 'drop' over his shoulder …

"Ouch!"

He turned around to see Hermione gently rubbing her knee. This was the perfect opportunity. _Don't blow it, stud!_

"Granger … shut up, this is a library." _NO!!! _

He had blown his chance. Hermione glared up at him. She looked like she was about to hex him into oblivion. Draco wanted to apologise so much. He wanted to say he was sorry, hold her in his arms, and run his fingers through her wonderful hair …

But that didn't happen. She picked up her books sharply and hobbled over to another table. Draco's heart sunk into his gut. He felt like such an idiot! He was useless.

Then he got an idea. Taking one last sorrowful glance at Hermione, who had her nose deep into a book, he took off in the direction of the dungeons. There was one person he knew who could help him on this, and he needed to act fast.

The Slytherin Common Room was partially empty. Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy were all sitting on the plush green sofas talking to Blaise Zabini. But there were also two first years standing by the fire. Draco had to get rid of them.

"Oi … Freshers! Beat it!"

One of them nodded humbly and proceded towards the staircase that lead to the dormitories, but the other decided to stand his ground. How like a Slytherin Fresher.

"Screw you, Blondie! You don't own me," he said. His friend widened his eyes in horror and whispered into his ear hastily. The brave kid then cowered and headed towards the stairs at great speed.

"Sorry Mr. Malfoy, sir … it won't happen again."

Pansy erupted into a giggling fit as the first years stumbled up the stone staircase. Draco walked over to Blaise.

"Mate … I need to talk to you."

"What about?"

"Well, its really personal, and I don't think you are going to like it." As Blaise turned to face his friend and prepared himself for the worst, Draco took a deep breath.

"_Look at me, I know what you see, _

_The most fantastic guy in this whole school. _

_But inside I am stirring, something strange is occurring, _

_It's a secret that breaks my rule."_

Blaise gave Draco a curious look before turning to face the others.

"Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, gather round …" 

Draco faced all three of them. His heart began to pound heavily in his chest. How would they take it?

"There's something that's been bugging me for so long and you guys are the only ones I can tell. The thing is … I fancy a Gryffindor …"

The shock seemed to dawn on the four Slytherins at the same time, judging by their expressions. Pansy screamed slightly before they all sang in unison.

"Not another sound!" 

"I knew you guys wouldn't approve, but I really like her …" Draco tried to explain.

"_No, no, no, no! (No, no, no!) Stick with the house you know. _

_If you wanna stay cool, then keep to your rule_

_Don't mess with the flow, no, no._

Stick to the Status Quo!" 

Draco sighed. He knew they would react like this, and he promised himself on the way down to his cold, damp common room that he would try hard to convince them, so he tried again.

"_Listen guys, yes it's a surprise, _

_But you gotta see from my point of view. _

_I know 'Gryffs' are all freaks, _

_But please let me speak, _

_Cause I'd listen if it was you."_

They all looked at each other before turning their gazes back on Draco. He held his breath.

"_We'll hear you out though it's absurd."_

"Thanks guys. I really need to get this off my chest you know, because it's not just any Gyffindor that I like … it's Hermione Granger."

"Not another word!" 

"I know you guys hate her but you'll learn to like her …"

"No, no, no, no! (No, no, no!) Stick with the group you know! 

_What's the matter with you? Haven't you got a clue?_

_You'll mess with the flow, no, no!_

_Stick to the Status Quo!"_

This wasn't going at all how Draco had planned. He turned away from the others and began to pace in front of the fire.

"_This is not what I want. This is not what I planned. _

_And I just have to say; I wish you'd understand!_

_I know you think this is …"_

"_This isn't right!" _Pansy interrupted. Draco glared at her and continued.

"Really wrong. But I've had these feelings for her for so long. Let me do it!" 

The others widened their eyes in shock and advanced on him.

"NO WAY! Stick with what you know!" 

Draco decided to try and stand up to them. He had to convince them.

"Can't I do it?" 

"_NO WAY! Or you'll have to go!"_

"_I will do it!" _Draco shouted. He hadn't meant to shout it so loud. And he never thought that his friends would be so stubborn. Although if roles were reversed, he was sure he would be just the same.

"_Shhh, Keep your voice down low!_

_Not another peep (No), not another word, (No) not another sound, (No) …"_

Draco had had enough of this. He turned to his four best friends and shouted.

"Will you all be QUIET!" 

The others stopped to look at him, all wearing the same confused expressions.

"I can't believe you are all acting like this. Why won't you be my friends and stick by me?"

Blaise, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle all looked at each other for what seemed a long time before turning their confused expressions back to Draco. He thought at that moment that they had all given up and decided to help him. How wrong he was.

"NO! No, no, no! 

_Stick with the house you know!_

_Gryffindor's are all scum, do you wanna be one?_

_Don't mess with the flow no, no, _

_Just stick to the Status …stick to the Status … Stick to the Status Quo!"_

With that they pushed Draco into the nearest seat and stood tall around him. He stared up at the four Slytherins around him, each looking confused, angry or both. Each one of them hated Gryffindors with a passion, let alone Hermione Granger, hence they all either looked like they wanted to slap him silly, or clean out their ears and ask him to repeat what he had just said.

Draco couldn't deal with this. He wanted … no he needed to talk to Blaise alone. He couldn't explain himself to all of them at the same time; it was too much. Pansy would get emotional – as women do – Crabbe and Goyle would ask stupid questions and Blaise would shout. All at once, it was unbearable, but individually, it was manageable.

"Blaise, can I talk to you alone, please?"

"Why him?" Pansy raged. Sweet Merlin, why was she so annoying sometimes?

"Because I said so! Now deal with it and stop acting like a pathetic Hufflepuff!"

Pansy curled her lip and glared at Draco before grabbing Crabbe and Goyle by the elbows and marching out of the dungeon, muttering under her breath.

"What's going on with you, Drake?"

Draco drew his gaze from the door Pansy had exited seconds earlier with his two goons and turned to face his best friend who was staring at him curiously.

"You've been acting so strange lately."

Drcao was experiencing a war of his own within his stomach. Should he tell Blaise about what Hermione did? How she smiled at him, cared for him, saved him? Maybe if he did then Blaise would understand Draco's sudden love and appreciation for the gentle bushy-haired Gryffindor.

He decided to explain everything. Draco sat opposite Blaise on the green and silver fur carpet and told his best friend everything; from Hermione hitting Bellatrix with the spell, to her offering him water, from feeling a brand new emotion for her, to feeling complete and utter jealousy at seeing Harry Pothead touch her.

When he had finished, he tried to slow his breathing, which was racing towards an all new speed, and prayed that the Thestrals within his stomach would stop flying around.

"Please will you help me get her, Blaise? Please?" Draco felt on the verge of crying. He needed help. He was useless at getting women. Sure he was handsome and rich, but the girls that he usually hooked up with were girls that admired him for his heritage and money. He was completely useless at romancing and wooing girls. And he was going to need a shit load of help to 'catch-a-Granger'.

Blaise could obviously see Draco's desperation. He gave him a sympathetic smile and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry friend, I will help you."

Draco nearly fainted with relief. Blaise often acted very tough, just like Draco, which was why they got on so well. But Draco knew that Blaise had a soft spot. He was a good friend.

"Blaise … please don't …" Blaise interrupted him, holding up his hand and shaking his head.

"Not a word about this shall leave my lips, I promise. Now, lesson number one. Any guy has the chance to get any girl, as long as he knows how. Now we have to act quickly, as it is nearly eleven."

Draco sat upright and listened intently.

Act Two: Scene Three

Harry sat by the fire wringing his hands. He was waiting for Hermione and was getting pretty worried. It was nearly midnight and she still hadn't turned up.

He was planning to tell her how he felt tonight, when she got back from the library. The common room was now empty and Harry's heart was pounding so loudly that he was afraid he would wake someone up.

What was taking her so long? The library closed at eleven for Mature students and he knew that Hermione would be there until Madam Pince kicked her out, which meant that – giving her about ten to fifteen minutes to get back to Gryffindor Tower – she was very, very late.

Harry didn't want to worry too much and then end up going out to save her and making a fool of himself by finding that she was on her way back, but had stopped to talk to a ghost or something. So, he stared into the embers of the once warm fire, and went over his lines.

It was perfect. The mood was set, the room was quiet, they would be alone, and she would be absolutely romanced.

All that was missing … was Hermione.

Act Two: Scene Four

Hermione left the Library with a smile on her face. In her hands was a bouquet of flowers. A beautiful bouquet. It was obviously homemade but it was such a thoughtful gift. There was a mixture of Muggle and magical flowers within it. There were pink roses, yellow tulips and white carnations, which were the Muggle flowers, Hermione knew, as they were some of the flowers that her mother had in her back garden. But the bouquet also had Roulens, which were sky-blue flowers that looked like bluebells but opened up every few minutes to play a soothing and gentle song, and it also had Aphromets, which were flowers of a deep, passionate red that got their name from the Greek Goddess of love Aphrodite, and emitted a beautiful smell that was often used to heighten passion.

Hermione drew the bouquet closer to her nose and inhaled the mixture of delightful scents. She had been quietly studying in the library when a Ravenclaw first year had wondered in with the bunch of flowers. He stumbled nervously over to Hermione and said that a seventh year student had told him to give this to her. He had also given her a card but she hadn't opened it. She had been too surprised and overwhelmed by the beautiful bunch of flowers in her hand.

Hermione then drew the card out of her pocket as she wondered slowly towards the Gryffindor tower.

"_To my love, _

_I know it is late … but this is to say thank you for what you did for me that night. This will also, hopefully show you how much you mean to me. I apologise for everything that has happened between us these past six years, and if you will be mine, I promise to make it up to you. _

_Love, your man. _

_You are brainy and I know you will figure out who this is from. That's what I love about you."_

Hermione glanced again at the flowers. "Love your man?" Who the hell could that be?

She wracked her brain as she wondered through the dimly lit hallways. Could it be Harry? Could Harry have sent her this beautiful bunch? She knew that she and Harry were beginning to establish a connection. It had developed after the night, just before the battle, when they had kissed. It hadn't been planned, but it was oh-so-delightful.

Hermione pulled herself out of her memory as she nearly collided with something. Steadying the bunch of flowers in her arms, she looked up to find Draco Malfoy standing before her.

"You!" she said suddenly as she pushed her hair out of her face. "Shouldn't you be in your dormitory?" She was still angry with him for throwing the book at her knee this afternoon. It had really hurt, and distracted her from her studies.

"I … I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Hermione stopped. She even stopped breathing for a second. Did Draco Malfoy just apologise for something? She looked him straight in the eye, and to her surprise, those deep grey eyes looked so … sad.

"Do you like my flowers?" he said. Hermione dropped the bouquet of flowers and stared at him. Was he _serious_?! Either this was a sick joke, or Hermione was dreaming. She was about to pinch her own arm when Draco took hold of both of her hands and began to sing in what Hermione considered to be a bloody beautiful voice. She didn't know he could sing.

"We've had our problems 'Mione, that's no lie 

_But lets just end them all, can we be together?_

_When I say I love you it does mean something_

_And I care just as you did when you saved me."_

Hermione remembered the note that came with the bunch of flowers. _'This is to thank you for what you did for me that night.' _Oh Merlin, Draco must have acquired these feelings after she had saved him from Bella.

"_I'm searching for the words to make you realise, _

_That I really, really want you to stay. _

_Tears of frustration I hold inside, _

_But if you walk away, you'll make this young man cry … _

_Don't leave. Don't leave me girl, _

_Please stay with me tonight. _

_Don't leave Hermione, _

_Please stay with me."_

Hermione blushed gently. What a beautiful song to match the equally beautiful voice. Draco kissed her right hand softly before continuing with the song. Hemione felt slightly overwhelmed and very confused.

"_Forget my pride girl, I'm begging you, _

_You're my heart, you're my soul, you've got so much control. _

_My love runs deeper than the ocean and sea, _

_But if you sail away, you'll take the centre piece of me…"_

Draco then got down on one knee before singing the last part. Oh Dumbledore, he better not propose. She was confused enough as it was.

"_Don't leave. Don't leave me no, no, _

_Don't leave me girl, please stay with me tonight. _

_Don't leave Hermione._

_Please stay with me …"_

Draco finished and stared up at her through sad, expectant grey eyes. She didn't know what to say or think. She was so confused it was unbelievable. A few minutes ago, she had been wondering what Harry had thought of her, and now, here in front of her, Draco was basically asking her out.

She didn't like Draco in that way. But gosh, after that beautiful song, she didn't have the heart to just tell him to bugger off and leave her alone.

Then she got an idea. Still holding his hands, she pulled him gently to his feet and stared confidently into his eyes with a sad smile on her face. Draco seemed to be preparing for the worst, and Hermione didn't blame him. It was such a good attempt at romancing her, but it just wasn't enough to make up for six years of taunting.

An opportunity like this only came once in a millennia.

Hermione lifted her head, inhaled and began to sing …

**Third Interval**

**Once again, these songs are not mine, and these video's are just to give you an idea of what the song sounds like**

**if you dont already know. **

Status Quo – From High School Musical.

(Stay with me) – By Blackstreet.


	4. Plans in Motion

**Plans in Motion**

**Act 2: Scene 5**

"_I think it's sweet your tryin to get intimate, _

_But you really should know I'm not into it."_

Draco seemed to be biting the inside of his cheek nervously. The slightly hopeful look he had worn earlier was beginning to fade.

"_Your not into it?"_

"_I'm not into it. _

_I know the games you play and I've been through it._

_See, you've often had the chance to be nice, _

_But you never have so here's my advice:_

_You wanna be with me? Well you've got a long way to go."_

Hermione knew she shouldn't really be leading him on, but it really was too good a chance to miss. How often does your arch nemesis get a huge crush on you?

She slowly bent down and picked up the bunch of flowers, before returning to her original position and staring Draco confidently in the eye.

"_Listen to me now, you claim that you're so hot, _

_And you say you've got skills in the bedroom, you_

_Try the flirt when your so not, _

_You had a chance and you still never came through. _

_You say you need to come see me, _

_And I know Pansy wants to be me, _

_Well, ima tell you 'work at it', cause you've got a long way to go."_

Draco began to smile slightly. He had dawned on the fact that Hermione was basically saying that he had a chance. Even though he didn't. Merlin, if he thought that he had a chance with her then he would continue to send her flowers, maybe even chocolates.

She took hold of his left hand and gave him a small smile.

"_Wanna love me? Wanna touch me? _

_Work hard, cause you've got a long way to go. _

_You don't know how to act, matter-of-fact, _

_Work hard, cause you've got a long way to go. _

_You've gotta work for, six years of _

_Attitude, but it might work out you know, _

_So work hard, cause you've got a long way to go." _

Hermione winked at Draco and smiled sweetly as she let go of his hand, walked around him and continued down the corridor, leaving him standing there looking quite confused but with a slight, determined smile playing at his sweet lips.

Whoa! Hold on. Did she just think that Draco had sweet lips? Hermione shook her head suddenly. No, she didn't think that at all.

With the beautiful bouquet of flowers leaving a wonderfully scented trail behind her, Hermione bounced jovially back to the Gryffindor tower, completely lost in her thoughts about what present or surprise she might receive next from Draco.

"Toffeesnifflette" she said quietly as she reached the portrait of the fat lady.

"Whatever." The fat lady proclaimed as she pulled her nightcap over her eyes. The portrait swung open and Hermione climbed carefully through the hole in the wall, taking care not to bash her flowers. That is until she stepped into the common room.

With a gasp of shock, she dropped the flowers. Harry was standing about two feet in front of her with both hands behind his back and a large smile on his face.

"Great Dumbledore, Harry! You scared me half to death, what's the matter with you? And why aren't you in bed? And what do you have behind your back?"

Harry pulled one hand from behind his back and placed his index finger over his lips. He then took hold of her right hand and led her over to the chair in front of the fireplace.

Hermione was completely confused. What in the world was he up to? As she slowly and suspiciously sat in the chair facing the dim embers of the evening fire, she watched as Harry got to his knees before her and pulled both his hands from behind his back, revealing a small royal blue box.

Hermione gasped quietly as she carefully took hold of the box. The bunch of flowers, which were still emitting timely bursts of gorgeous aromas, lay forgotten by the entrance hole. She gave Harry a sweet smile before slowly opening the box. Within it was a beautiful solid gold necklace of two H's next to each other - one slightly lower than the other - engraved on a nice sized heart shape, which had tiny diamonds dotted around the edges.

Hemione gasped again and almost dropped the box. As tears sprang to her eyes she placed the box gently on her knees and hugged Harry tightly.

"It's absolutely beautiful! Wherever did you get it? Oh Harry it's wonderful!" Hermione was completely overwhelmed for the second time tonight. Harry flashed her a satisfied smile and gently removed the necklace from its box.

"A beautiful necklace, for a beautiful lady," he said as he helped her put it on. "The two letters not only represent us, Hermione, but they also represent the honesty and harmony that we share. And I want the whole world to know it. We're perfect for each other and I want to spend the rest of my life in perfect harmony with you."

Hermione sighed dreamily. Gosh he was so romantic, and so handsome. She was, without a doubt, in love.

Before she could reply, Harry took hold of both of her hands and smiled dashingly up at her.

"_Ain't another woman that can take your spot my love."_

He was singing to her; serenading her. He, like Draco actually, had a wonderful voice. Hermione bit her lower lip gently and smiled as Harry sang to her.

_"If I wrote you a symphony, just to say how much you mean to me_

_What would you do?_

_If I told you, you are beautiful, would you floo me on a regular?_

_Tell me would you. _

_Hermione, I'd go around the world and bet I'd never meet another girl like you. _

_Your smile has captured my heart and I wish that I could be with you._

_Say you do too … _

_Because, I can see us holding hands, _

_Walking down the beach, our toes in the sand, _

_I can see us on the countryside_

_Sitting on the grass or lying side by side. _

_Will you be my baby? Let me make you my lady, witch you amaze me, _

_I wont do nothing crazy, _

_See all I want you to do is be my love, my girl, my love … _

_Ain't another woman that can take your spot my love, my girl, my love … _

_Please ease my pain and say you'll be my love." _

Harry stood up and kissed her gently on the cheek just as he had finished the song. Hermione felt like melting into the seat. She nodded her head vigorously and hugged Harry again.

"Oh Harry, that was so romantic, and of course I will be your love!" She giggled as she pulled out of the hug. Harry had the most dashing smile on his face, which soon became blurred by her vision as he leaned in close and rested his gentle lips upon hers. Hermione's heart pounded with happiness and her stomach erupted with butterflies and faeries as she returned the kiss. For that moment, everything in the world seemed perfect and all her worries, threats and problems slithered away to the darkest part of her mind.

**Act Two: Scene Six**

It had been nearly two weeks since Harry had sung his heart out to Hermione, who had accepted with a smile and a kiss. Hermoine had immediately told Harry about Draco, who had laughed so loud that he had woken Lavender, Dean and Ron. After Lavender and Dean had returned to their beds, mumbling angrily under their breaths about being woken up, Harry and Hermione told Ron about Draco too, as well as their newly formed relationship. It was then when they had all decided to keep it quiet for a while, purely to see how far Draco would go for Hermione. Lets face it; it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing and they all wanted to see Draco get humiliated.

During the last two weeks, Draco had sent Hermione two more bunches of flowers, one during breakfast and one just before her 'Care of Magical Creatures' lesson, as well as two boxes of heart shaped chocolates filled with strawberry ice cream (her favourite and she was surprised to find out that he knew that), straight from Belgium, one Sugar Quill and a Box of Catnip for Crookshanks.

Harry found it absolutely hilarious. Especially since he knew that there was no way Draco was going to win Hermione over.

On the Saturday morning, two days before Harry and Hermione's two week anniversary, Harry paced in the common room with a piece of parchment on a small board and a quill in hand. Today was the first Quidditch match of the season and Gryffindor were up against Slytherin. A strong feeling in his gut was telling him that they would win, but to make sure, he was going over their pitch formation and was practicing his pre-game speech.

Half way though practicing his pep talk, Ginny came bouncing down the stairs, her long flaming red hair flowing behind her.

"Morning captain," she said with a smile. Harry barely waved at her without removing his eyes from the piece of parchment before him. It wasn't until Ginny actually pulled it from his grasp that he looked at her properly.

"Ginny that's not funny, give it back." Why was she being so immature? The match was a few hours away and he needed to prepare. Ginny placed the parchment on the table and glanced quickly around the common room, obviously to make sure that they were alone. Of course they were alone, it was 8:00 am on a Saturday morning. Who gets up that early on a Saturday if they don't have to? No one! Well … no one, except his wonderful Hermione, who was down at breakfast. She was filling up her stomach as she was planning to spend the morning helping Harry with his pep talk. She didn't know much about Quidditch but she had damn fantastic people skills.

"Harry … can we talk please?" Warning alarms sounded in Harry's ears. He knew it was never a good sign whenever a girl says those four words to a boy. It wasn't as bad as "We need to talk," but it was still a daunting statement. He began to panic as he took a seat in the armchair by the fire and wondered what she wanted to talk about. He prayed it wasn't going to be about their relationship two years ago. He hadn't actually told Ginny about dating Hermione yet. He didn't want to until they decided to bring it out into the open.

"It's about Cho." Oh sweet Dumbledore! Her! Harry had seen Cho wondering around the halls with piles of books floating behind her. He knew about her doing a teacher training course and had done his best to ignore her completely whenever she passed.

"Harry … she has told me so many times not to, but I can keep it in anymore; she seems so … upset all the time."

"She's always upset all the time. The girl never stops crying. I swear she's a total emo!"

"What the hell is an emo?"

"An over emotional person? I dunno, I got it from this TV programme that Dudley was watching at the end of the summer. Some guy called this girl an emo for crying all the time." Ginny gave him a scorching look.

"You're not being fair Harry, she's been through a lot."

"What and I haven't? I've faced Voldemort six times now and you don't see me crying every ten seconds. All she's been through is finding out that her boyfriend died. At least she never actually had to witness the death. Plus, she still has both her parents so what the hell is she always bawling about?" Ginny was starting to get really angry now, Harry could tell. He had seen her hanging around with Cho here and there but didn't think that they were close or anything.

"Harry, she cries because she is confused. She's got a big problem and doesn't know how to approach it …"

"You know you still haven't told me what this has to do with me," he interrupted, "why are you telling me this? I mean, what could her 'problem' possibly have to do with me?"

Ginny stood up suddenly with such force that the parchment flew off the little table and onto the floor. She narrowed her eyes so much that Harry could barely see her iris' and she perched her lips into such a fine line that she began to look like Professor McGonagall. It was actually a little scary.

"I'll tell you what it has to do with you, you ignorant, pea brained, little block head," she raged, "Cho LOVES you, ok. She hasn't gotten over you; she thinks the world of you and wont stop going on about it. Every time I see her, she asks me what you are doing, how you are, if you are dating, if your bloody hair is still messy and with every answer she smiles dreamily and tells me how she wishes with all her heart that you would just look at her once, in the way you used to when you had a crush on her and stop ignoring her like she was a piece of dirt that you had just scraped off of your shoe!" Ginny took a deep breath and stormed out of the portrait hole.

Just after Ginny had disappeared, Hermione stepped through the hole and sighed gently in a way that told him, she had heard every word. Harry was still in slight shock at Ginny's outburst and was staring at the floor with raised eyebrows.

"Are you ok, pumpkin?" Hermione said gently. She picked up the piece of parchment and made her way over to Harry.

"Yeah," he said quietly, "just … never realised she still felt that way. I mean I am totally over her, but …"

Harry saw Hermione roll her eyes and smiled. Was she jealous?

"Well let's not worry about it too much," she said in a slightly sharp tone, "lets get you prepared for your match in two hours. We'll deal with … err, what was it you called her? Oh yes, the 'emo', later."

Harry laughed and hugged his girlfriend gently. She giggled and planted a soft kiss upon his nose before turning to the piece of parchment in her hand.

**Act Two: Scene Seven**

At eleven, Harry and Hermione made their way down to the Quidditch pitch. They were going to spend half an hour going over their notes in the changing room before the team showed up at about half eleven to get changed.

"You can run through the speech once more, love, then you can get changed and have a break." She said with a smile as they stepped inside the empty changing rooms. Harry glanced around the empty room, filled with shining silver lockers. A slight odour of dampness and sweat seemed to hang in the air, but it wasn't too overpowering a smell. In a few minutes his senses would get used to it and he would no longer be able to notice the difference in odour. He took a seat upon the bench and stared up at Hermione. She was glancing down at the piece of parchment again, so consumed in the words on the page that she obviously didn't notice Harry staring at her. It was amazing how she looked beautiful when she concentrated. Harry leaned forward and gently ceased her legs, pulling her form towards him. He felt her jump slightly in surprise and look down at him with an expression of confusion settled upon her sweet face.

"What are you doing, dear?" Without answering, Harry pulled her down to sit on his lap and smiled at her. She stared back, her soft brown eyes looking earnest and anxious but also loving. There was a shimmering glimmer in her eyes that Harry had noticed only seemed to show itself when he stared deep into her jewel-like eyes.

"I just wanted to let you know that I love you so much."

Hermione couldn't help but smile, and had opened her mouth to answer, when a loud 'clunk' had come from one of the lockers beside the door. Both Harry and Hermione's heads whipped around sharply to face the door, trying to decipher the source of the sudden noise, only to find that it was the Weasley twins. Fred and George stood side by side both with their right eyebrows raised, staring at the couple. Hermione instantly made a squeak of a noise and leapt from Harry's lap, although he knew, and knew she knew that it would do no good.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here George?" Said Fred with an all-too-familiar grin spreading slowly across his face.

"We have a bit of a happy but secretive couple on our hands Fred," replied his brother, sharing the same knowing grin. This wasn't good.

"Look, guys …"

But Harry never got a chance to finish his sentence as the rest of the team began to pile into the changing room. They were all early. Just his luck that the one time he wanted his team to be on time or even slightly late, they turn up extra early. He noticed the twins give him a simultaneous wink before turning to face their lockers to pull out their Quidditch gear. Shit! Harry turned to face Hermione, who looked a little pale but quite levelheaded and quizzical, as though she were trying to work something out.

"Hermy?" He said quietly, forcing her to whip her head around to face him. She flashed him a soft smile and gave his hand a gentle squeeze before taking a few steps back.

"Good luck Harry," she exclaimed before turning on her heel and walking briskly from the room. He stared at the door until the main of bushy brown hair had disappeared completely, before turning to face his half dressed team. This was it.

"Our first match against Slytherin, and what are we going to do?"

"WIN!"

He laughed at the enthusiasm that radiated from his now ready and eager team, each one skilful in their own way and a unique asset to the team. Harry flashed them all a proud smile as he began to clap to a rhythmic beat.

"_Together, together, together Gryffindor. _

_Together, together, we're the team they adore!"_

It only took a few seconds for the rest of the team to catch on and join in, all turning to face each other, giving one another confident and encouraging smiles or pats.

"_Together, together, together Gryffindor, _

_Together, together, we're the team they adore!" _

As the others continued to keep up the beat, Harry nodded with a proud air and took hold of his broom that stood in the corner of the changing room. Once it rested on his right shoulder, he spun to face his team, watching as they all rushed for their own.

"_Here and now, it's time for celebration. _

_We've finally figured it out, yeah, yeah. _

_That our team's the best in Hogwart's school so _

_Gryffindor's scream and shout! C'mon!" _

Everyone cheered as Harry made his way to the doors, glancing out at the pitch before him, welcoming the adrenaline that rushed through his veins at the thought of the upcoming match. Just as he was about to step outside, a voice from behind continued with the song. He spun to see Ginny directly behind him, wearing a small grin.

"_Every team is different in their own way, _

_Our team is fast and strong … yes fast and strong. _

_Slytherin are different in a bad way, _

_Last place is where they belong!" _

Harry laughed and nodded in agreement as the whole team contributed to the chorus. They stepped onto the pitch, heads held high, smiles wide and voices ringing throughout the stadium.

_"We're all in this together!_

_And we know what we are,_

_We're the stars and you see that! _

_We're all in this together_

_And it shows when we zoom_

_Broom on broom, _

_Make the others lose!"_

As they assumed their positions on the pitch, Harry could see the Slytherin's exchanging glances either of amusement or confusion. He couldn't help but smile. Although their song may seem inappropriate or stupid to some, it also showed just how 'together' they were, ready to work as a team and bring down the enemy. Just like in battle, they worked as one.

"EVERYBODY NOW!" Harry directed it at the Gryffindor spectators as well as his teammates. A song sung together was better to him than any chant, it showed their determination and made him proud to be a captain.

_"Together, together, together Gryffindor!_

_Together, together, we're the team they adore! _

_Together, together, together everyone! _

_We're gonna win this, and it'll be such fun!"_

The whistle blew as they finished. Harry could still hear the tone of the last note ringing throughout the Gryffindor spectators as he kicked off hard and soared into the air. The crowd had returned to chanting their original 'Go, Go Gryffindor' to encourage their team. It was a beautiful day, with clear skies but not too much sun creating a glare. Perfect weather to see and as Harry spotted the snitch within three minutes, he could easily see that this year's trophy would be theirs.

**Act Two: Scene Eight**

Cho slowly walked toward the castle amongst the excited chatter of the Quiddich fans. The match had ended remarkably fast. In about five minutes flat, Harry had spotted the snitch, dived for it, had suffered a tremendous amount of foul play from the Slytherin team, expertly dodged them all and had captured the snitch. It was amazing to watch even though it hadn't lasted long. Throughout the entire game, her heart had fluttered and knotted as her attention remained solely on Harry.

She missed him tremendously and it hurt so much, deep in her gut to see him wondering around with that girl. She couldn't even bring herself to think the name of the one that had taken her love from her. But she wouldn't have to worry about it for too long.

Now being a teacher's assistant, she had access to all the books, all the potions, all the ingredients and was permitted to go anywhere and everywhere within the castle grounds that she pleased. She had a lot of advantages now that she could never have gained as a student as was intent on using every single one of them to re-gain Harry's attention.

No more 'miss-nice-girl'. Good girls finish last … unless you're little miss perfect.

Cho turned to glance at the Quidditch pitch as she stumbled away from it, drawn by the crowd heading for the castle. She spotted Harry amongst a huddle of red and gold and sighed as her heart thumped hard against her chest. Soon enough they would be alone together, for a plan had already been set in motion. When he reached the boys dormitories, he would find a note telling him to meet Hermione Granger later that night in the prefects' toilets on the fifth floor. Fortunately for Cho, the time that she had arranged to meet him would be during an arranged meeting that Miss Granger had with Professor McGonagall. There would be no interruptions and she could finally get the chance to talk to him. To talk some sense into him.

She wandered up the steps to her common room as she entered the castle. She needed to get ready … there wasn't much time.

**Fourth Interval** – Get yourselves a drink and some ice cream. Not long to go now.

**Disclaimers and Links**

As before, here are some links to the songs featured in this chapter. Just remember to get rid of the brackets if you copy and paste. I don't own any of the videos, songs or characters featured in this story. I'm simply manipulating them for the entertainment of my wonderful readers hehe. I thought I'd try it a little different this time and throw you some instrumentals so you can sing along with my changed lyrics. Still doesn't mean I own anything though!

_Long Way to go (Cassie) _- youtube().()com/watch?v=pC1YuWwgKP4&feature=related (Couldn't find an instrumental)

_My Love Instrumental (Justin Timberlake)_ - youtube().()com/watch?v=jkHc7uAKoEY

_We're all in this Together Kareoke (High School Musical) _- youtube().()com/watch?v=zi0bEeRNiBM (best I could do hehe)


	5. Time to be Honest, Time to be Bold

**Time to be Honest, Time to be Bold**

Act 3: Scene 1

Harry was still on a high as he returned to the Gryffindor common room and he wasn't alone. It seemed as though every member of the Gryffindor house that has seen the match spent the next five to six hours singing and partying. Their joy spread throughout most of the school as they laughed and chanted on the grass by the lake or as they skipped through the courtyard with exclaimations of excitement on their lips. Many members from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff also joined in with the jubilations, as well as the ghosts and portraits of the corridors that heard the news. The only people that refused to celebrate were, of course the Slytherins and Cho Chang.

Cho sat within the prefects bathrooms going over her plans to be sure that everything was perfect. She warned certain people to stay way from the bathrooms that night, using the excuse that they were being referbished and so far it had worked. Her note to Harry had been set in place, on his bed where he would easily find it (thanks to Ginny) and soon things would be set in motion. Her plan was to woo Harry, to make him forget about Hermione and remember his feelings for her. She could still remember the look of pure passion, longing and lust that he used to give her when she would pass him in the corridors on the way to her lessons. How good it made her feel to know that she was admired not by one man but by two. Well now she had none; with one murdered and the other lusting after the book worm, there was no one else to blame but Hermione-I'm-so-perfect-Granger. But that was soon to change.

Though she had planned to win his heart back by talking to him, trying to jog his memory back to the days when he fancied her, she had decided to also concoct a potion of Amentortia, just in case. Only to be used in extreme emergencies, of course. She had slipped drops of the potion into some items of food and drink that she had prepared in an attempt to make this meeting look as innocent as a picnic where she simply wanted to talk and get her feelings out but she was determined, by any means necessary to get Harry to return to her. Hermione Granger would suffer as she did when she realised that her lover no longer loved her.

_"So she thinks she knows spells from all places_

_With the power to put me on the run?_

_Well I'll soon wipe those smiles from their faces_

_They'll know what power is when I am done…"_

Cho raised her right arm to check the watch that sat beneath the sleeve of her light blue jumper. It was almost nine-thirty. Harry should be arriving soon to meet her. A sly grin touched her lips as she pictured how the scene would play out. With a quick laugh, she continued to sing to herself, hearing her words echo off the walls of the room.

_"She's playing with the big girls now_

_Playing with the big girls now. _

_Every spell and gesture, will show her I'm the best_

_She's playing with the big girls now."_

She pulled her wand from her inner robe pocket and gave her wand a flick, casting a spell without needing to mutter the incantation (for she had mastered silent spells in her sixth year) allowing the food she had prepared to set themselves onto the soft blanket she had laid on the stone floor.

"_She's playing with the big girls now, _

_She's playing with the big girls now, _

_With the might of my wand I will break her love bond_

_Kneel to my splendorous power!"_

With another flick the candles of the room lit and the atmosphere instantly became romantic. Cho glanced around the room, grinning with all the confidence in the world for she knew that Harry would not be able to resist her here. She was excited and impatient for it all to happen.

_"She'll put up a front, she'll put up a fight_

_But just to show I feel no spite_

_To our wedding, she'll have invite_

_But first girl, it's time to bow_

_For she's playing with the big girls, playing with the big girls _

_She's playing with the big girls, playing with the big girls_

_She's playing with the big girls NOW!"_

All that was left to do was to wait for Harry to arrive.

**Act 3: Scene 2**

Harry sped down the steps of the Grand Staircase, taking great care not to hurt himself when they moved beneath his feet. No matter how many years he had spent running up and down these staircases at whatever time of the day, he never seemed to get used to the fact that they had a mind of their own, moving whenever they wanted to especially, it seemed when he was in a rush. Once he had reached the sixth floor staircase, it had lurched into movement and turned to attach itself to another set of stairs that would lead him either to the astronomy tower or to the forth floor and he needed to get to the fifth. He gave a gentle growl of frustration and sped down the steps to the forth floor, having to take a detour up to the fifth. When he eventurally made it, Harry continued down the right corridors toward the Prefect's bathroom, knowing that he would not get in any sort of trouble for being out of bed late. As head boy, his curfew was extended until past midnight and it was only nine thirty in the evening. As he turned a corner, Harry pulled out the note that he had found on his bed, requesting his presence in the bathrooms.

_Dear Harry, _

_I have something to show you, a little present that I made just for you as a congratulations for winning the match against Slytherin. Meet me in the Prefect's Bathrooms at nine thirty. I'll be waiting. _

_Love Hermione._

A smile touched his lips as he neared the door to the bathrooms. He tucked the letter away into the back pocket of his jeans and glanced around, for he had reached the entrance. There was no one else down the corridor, so hopefully they would not be disturbed. He spoke the password that would allow him entrance to the room and pushed the door as it unlocked itself. The room was lit by candlelight and there was a small picnic set out in the the middle of the room. The huge tub with twenty or so taps that stood at the other end of the room was filled with steaming water and bubbles and gentle music that sounded orchestral was coming from somewhere in the room. It was all too romantic. Harry let his smile widen as he closed the door behind him and stepped into the room. It didn't at all seem like Hermione's style but that's what made it interesting. He throught to himself that this was something he should have done for her so he made a mental note of the idea as he slipped out of his robes.

"This is beautiful Hermione," he said to the seemingly empty room, knowing that she was in hiding somewhere. "Come out so I can thank you with a kiss." He heard footsteps from his left and turned. His smile dropped instantly as out of the shadows stepped Cho Chang. Without thought, Harry's wand appeared in his hand as he glared at the girl that he used to have a crush on. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't you like my gift," she said quietly as she stepped closer. Her gift? Harry glanced again at the picnic set out on the floor by his feet and felt a snarl touch his lips. He knew it wasn't Hermione's style and he felt stupid at not figuring out that she wouldn't have done something like this. He returned his gaze to Cho and felt himself glare at the older woman. "You did this? You got me here by pretending to be Hermione? Where is she?"

Cho rolled her eyes in response to his questions and placed her hands on her hips. "Is that all you can think about? I didn't kidnap her if that's what you're thinking. She's just having a meeting with Mcgonagall and… while she's busy I was hoping that we could talk." She motioned to the blanket and sat down upon it with her legs crossed, staring up at him, clearly expecting him to sit down opposite her. Harry, however refused to do so. He continued to stand with his wand still in hand, glaring down at the woman that was supossed to be a teacher in training, but was acting younger than himself.

"What do you want, Cho?" She sighed heavily as she slipped out of her own robes, revealing a beautiful top. It was a light blue jumper with glittery royal blue patterns. It was low cut enough that he could see much of her cleavage from where he stood. And to accompany it, she wore a beautifully flowing skirt that fell just above her knees in ruffles of black material, revealing her long, soft-looking legs. Harry's eyes couldn't help but scan over her body appreciatively. He couldn't deny that she was beautiful, but he just didn't feel the attraction he felt a few years ago. Instead, he found himself imagining her clothes on Hermione. A smile touched at his lips again as he saw her in his minds eye in the same skirt Cho wore, allowing her beautiful legs to grab his attention as she walked toward him, seeing her cleavage wrapped up firmly by the low-cut neck of the blue jumper.

"I see you like my attire," he heard Cho say as she pulled him from his riverie. He lifted his gaze from where it had been (upon her skirt and legs) and let his gaze meet her own. "You still havn't told me what you want, Cho Chang. I have homework to do."

"Oh, but if it actually were Hermione that had invited you here, you would somehow have plenty of time for her?" Cho's voice began to raise in clear anger. She lifted herself from her cross-legged position and sat on her knees and heels instead, glaring up at Harry. He returned her glare with as much anger, if not more. "Of course," he said loudly, "of course I would have time for Hermione, she's my …" Harry stopped himself, realising that he hadn't actually told anyone about his and Hermy's relationship. Sure Ron knew and he had a feeling that Dean and Seamus had an incling but they hadn't actually intended to make it public. They wanted to keep it quiet.

"She's your what?" Cho had tilted her head to the side, letting a knowing smile touch her lips. It was then that Harry remembered the note. The contents of it were words of a lover, a partner. Cho knew. Harry clenched his free hand in anger. "She's my girlfriend!" he shouted at her, knowing Cho already knew. "Yes, I would make time for my girlfriend and not for a stalker that still likes me! You need to get over it Cho. I'm over you so leave me the hell alone!"

He turned to leave, determined to get as far away from Cho as he could, at least for the night, but before he could he heard her voice sound out throughout the room with a musical ring.

"_I'm lost without you. I can't help myself, _

_How does it feel, to know that I love you, Harry?"_

He stopped at the door with his hand on the handle. She was singing to him. Harry closed his eyes and lifted his hand to the bridge of his nose. Was this really happening?

"_I'm lost without you. I can't help myself, _

_How does it feel to know that I love you, Harry?_

_Tell me that you love me more and that you think I'm sexy baby, _

_That you don't want nobody else, _

_You don't want that girl, Hermione, that girl… you wanna_

_Touch yourself when you see me, tell me that you love my body…"_

Harry had spun on his heel at the mention of Hermione. He found himself glaring hard at Cho Chang only to see her staring back with shimmering eyes threatening to create a waterfall of tears. She stood before him looking so vulnerable with a hand outstretched to him. He hated to admit it but it actually made her look more attractive. His facial features softened slightly as she continued to sing to him.

"_And how I make you feel, Harry, _

_You wanna roll with me, you wanna hold with me_

_Why don't you stay warm and get out of the cold with me…" _

He sighed heavily as she continued and found himself shaking his head at her efforts. A tear spilled over as she saw his negative response to her tries and she sang with more confidence.

"_I just need to hear you say it! It makes me feel loved, Harry, _

_Tell me you'll return to me, I need to hear it!"_

Harry shook his head again and backed away, only to find himself held in place by the door. Cho took a step toward him as more tears continued to spill, running down her cheeks in waterfalls, unwilling to stop.

_"I'm lost without you! I can't help myself!_

_How does it feel to know that I love you, Harry, _

_I need to have you… all to myself_

_Can you not feel all my love for you baby?"_

"Okay, stop!" It was clear to Harry that she had been about to sing another verse but he couldn't take it. She looked so vulnerable and slightly pathetic but he was definitely beginning to feel sorry for her. He had to get away. "I'm sorry that you feel this way, Cho but I don't love you. I love Hermione. You need to move on!"

She gasped in response and bent low to pick up an item from the picnic basket behind her. With tears still streaming down her face she held out a muffin toward him. "W-won't you a-at least try one of my m-m-muffins before you g-go? I-I made them myself." She was sniffing inbetween words as she spoke and Harry resisted the urge to bite his lower lip. He shook his head yet again, not really wanting to speak. It was then that he saw the desperate glare in her eyes. She pulled her wand from up the sleeve of her left arm and aimed it at his chest, shouting "Petrificus Totalus!"

Harry was prepared for her incantation. His wand had never left his hand and with a quick flick as she shouted her spell, he himself shouted "Protego!" Her spell hit his sheild and bounced back with such speed that neither had much time to react after. Before Harry knew it, Cho had hit the floor, her body a complete statue. He sighed heavily for the last thing he wanted to do was to leave a potential teacher in the prefect's bathrooms that way. He rolled his eyes and countered the spell, but before Cho could recover, he hit her with a 'Stupify'. That would only leave her statuesque for a short amount of time. As she lay there on the ground, Harry took another deep breath and spoke as calmly as he could to her still body.

"I don't feel for you Cho. Just do me a favour and leave me alone."

**Act 3: Scene 3**

Hermione was on the rampage already when Harry had returned to the Gryffindor tower. The celebrations were only just beginning to die down and there were still groups of students gathered around the common room, laughing and conversing happily about the days events. Food and drink was still being passed around and random ribbons of maroon and gold were still being sporadically thrown about the room. Harry could tell right away that something was wrong with Hermione for when he entered through the portrait, he spotted her seated by the fire ignoring everyone. If she were her usual self, she would have been up and about sending people to bed or giving them lectures on how they had lessons in the morning and it was not good to eat so much junk food before sleeping. Instead, as he approached, he saw her glaring angrily at the carpeted floor. She glanced up as she saw him approach and instantly leapt to her feet.

"What did she do to you?" Hermione demanded as soon as he was close enough. Before Harry could even respond, she grabbed his arm and pulled him to an unoccupied part of the room. They knew that their conversation would go unheard as everyone was too preocupied with their celebrations to care. Hermione tried to keep her voice lowered but managed to keep her angry and demanding tone. "If she… did anything to you, Harry, you need to let me know because I'll hex her with so many ugly spells that her own mother won't be able to recognise her!"

"Hermione," he replied as calmly as he could, resting his hands on her shoulders to reassure her, "you need to calm down. She didn't do anything to me. She tried, but failed." He wasn't quite sure how she knew that it was Cho who he had gone to meet unwillingly but he decided to focus on his side of the story first. He told her everything and she listened quietly and intently. As soon as he finished, she let out a quiet and brief scream of frustration. "She's gone too far this time!"

"How did you know what had happened?" He was curious to know for Cho had said she was simply in a meeting with Professor McGonagall. Was that not the truth?

"I had been sent to see the Headmistress, to meet her at nine thirty, which I thought was quite late," she claimed, shaking her head. "As I got to her office, exactly on time, I knocked only to find the room completely empty. Assuming that the Professor had been held up, I waited for twenty minutes. Finally she appeared and when she saw me, she gave me a disappointed look and invited me in. As I entered, Professor McGonagall began a lecture of how she was disappointed to hear that I had been disrespecting Professor Chang!" Harry's eyes widened in shock and anger. He parted his lips to exclaim his anger, but Hermione simply held up a hand, signaling for him to let her finish.

"I was flabbergasted as she went on to say that Cho had spoken of how I had been disobeying her, not respecting her authority as a teacher because I had known her as a student. I tried convincing the Professor that none of these accusations were true but she simply said that she 'hoped to see a better performance from me around Professor Chang in the future' and then stripped Gryffindor of ten points." Hermione gave another growl of frustration but before she could do anything more, Harry took hold of her hand and brought it to his lips. He knew they were trying to keep this relationship secret for now so he only did this action and very quickly so that none could see. She smiled at him briefly before it faded and she continued her story.

"I came back here in an anger, wondering where you were so that I could tell you and instead found you weren't here. I asked for you and someone said they had seen you leave heading in the direction of the Prefect's Bathrooms, even though they had been told to stay away because they were being referbished. It was Neville that then told me that there had been a note on your bed before you left with handwriting that looked like my own. I knew it had to be her, Oh Harry… I'm so angry right now!"

Harry wished he could hold her tight in his arms and comfort her. He wanted nothing more than to press his lips against her own and let her know that there was nothing in this world that could tear him away from her. As he couldn't do this for the room was full of potential spectators, he simply said, "you know there is nothing she could do to make me stop loving you, Hermione Granger. I told her to leave me alone and if she doesn't, you're more than welcome to hex her as much as you like." A smile touched her lips as he said this. She then whispered the words 'I love you' and headed off to bed. After another twenty minutes with his fellow Gryffindors, Harry did the same.

**Act 3: Scene 4**

Weeks began to pass quickly and turning into months and before Hogwarts knew it, December was upon them. Decorations began to spring up overnight, filling the castle with an air of excitement and happiness and talk of the Yule Ball floated throughout the air. The girls would giggle in excitement as they spoke of boys that had already plucked up the courage to ask them to the dance, while others chatted of boys that they wished and hoped would ask. The boys would laugh in groups as they spoke of the beauties that had accepted their invitations or would walk nervously through the halls as they tried to find the courage to ask those they wished to go with. Talk of shopping and attire was in the air for there was a scheduled trip to Hogsmeade on the 9th of December. Everyone was excited, so much so that concentration levels during lessons were very low. Even the teachers seemed in a joyful mood. The atmosphere was euphoric.

Well… for almost everyone.

Ginny paced in a small circle on the seventh floor as she waited for Draco to show up. She had gotten a young Slytherin to deliver a message for her, though it had taken a lot of convincing and threats to actually get the young and cocky girl to agree to it. She didn't even know if the note would actually be delivered but there was only one way to find out and that was to wait. She had requested in the note that he meet her on the seventh floor at eight, near the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy and the Room of Requirement. She made sure not to stand in front of the portrait for all of her pacing would reveal a room and Draco wouldn't know where to meet her. She simply decided to wait there for him.

As it turns out, he was fifteen minutes late and when he arrived at quatre past, he arrived in the company of Blaize Zabini. Ginny sighed heavily as they approached her with surpised looks in their eyes. The last thing she wanted was to have to blurt out her feelings in front of Blaize, but she had promised herself that she would be bold and do it today.

"A Weasley? That's who my note was from?" Ginny noticed that both Slytherin wands appeared as they realised who she was. With a sigh on her lips, she held both hands up for them to see, showing that they were empty. This was meant to be a peaceful meeting… and a private one.

"I asked you to come alone," she said quietly as the two boys stood before her. Blaize had a look of utter disgust on his lips, whereas Draco looked more surprised than sickened.

"What do you want, Ginny Weasel? I don't have time to be playing games with younger students." His insult went unnoticed for Ginny could barely concentrate. He looked so noble before her. He was born to be a leader, that she could see. However she was forced to concentrate and to change her tac-tics. She hadn't planned on having Blaize turn up with him. It took a minute or two fo her to figure out a plan, during which, Draco's partner in crime had stated, "I'm bored now. Can we go?"

Before the blonde could respond however, Ginny spoke. "I know about your feelings for Hermione." Blaize held his composure but allowed his scowl to deepen. Draco, however gasped and held his wand up to her chest. He narrowed his eyes and glared her down. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said threateningly, "and if you know what's good for you, you'll keep whatever rumours you're planning on spreading to yourself."

"I don't want to spread any rumours," she retorted, standing her ground, "I simply want to talk to you." Both boys narrowed their eyes further in suspicion. Neither believed her and she couldn't blame them.

"Why should we believe you. Weasley?" Blaize spoke quietly. Ginny turned to him and returned his glare. "I want to speak to Draco alone, he doesn't need a babysitter, Zabini, you're free to leave and give the man some space anytime you want."

"You dare call me a babysitter? I didn't want to come here!"

"Then leave! Draco's a strong man, he can handle himself!"

Blaize was getting angrier by the second. He stuttered a little at her last retort and parted his lips to speak again but before he was given the chance, Malfoy turned to him and nodded. "She's right, Blaize, you can go. I'll be fine." The look that Zabini gave made Ginny feel as though he could shoot daggers from his eyes and would if he could but he eventurally turned and left, storming down the corridor loudly. Ginny almost sighed with relief as he left and was left on her own with Draco Malfoy. He still had his wand raised to her chest as he returned his attention to her. She slowly lifted her hand and lowered the wand. He did not raise it again.

"What do you want?"

"I… want to tell you that I like you." She bit her lip nervously as she awaited his response. It had taken her months to build up the courage to say these words and she had imagined that it would turn so many different ways. His response was one that she had pictured before.

"You… what?" His mouth dropped with surprise at the statement, which Ginny had expected so she moved onto the next part of her plan. As he stood there, looking shocked she raised her head and began to sing.

"_Some people call you 'Hater' but I'm far from terrified, _

_Cause somehow I'm drawn to danger and have been most of my life, _

_My heart, it feels divided half way between wrong and right, _

_I know I'm playing with fire but I don't mind…"_

She could see the confusion on his face as she sang her heart's true feelings, it was true… she was drawn to danger. She at one point had been drawn to Harry, though he wasn't dangerous, so to say, he was involved in a lot of danger. Ginny finally found that she could accept that all she wanted was a bad boy…

_"Yeah, you bad boys are always catching my eye_

_I said you bad boys are always spinning my mind _

_Draco, though I know you're no good for me_

_I would take this risk for the chemistry _

_Cause you bad boys are always cathing my eye _

_Ooooh, bad boy!" _

His eyes had widened and he had taken a step back in surprise but he had fully lowered his wand and was listening closely to her song. "You want to be with me?" she heard him say quietly. As a reply she continued to sing.

_"Some think I'm complicated, others think I'm crazy_

_They won't get an explanation, it's nothing more than what you see_

_My heart, it is divided half way between wrong and right _

_Being with you is playing with fire but I don't mind_

_Cause you're a bad boy and always catching my eye_

_Yes, you're a bad boy and always spinning my mind"_

She took another step toward him and continued to do so until his back was against the wall. As he was slightly taller, he stared down at her with what now looked to be wonder in his eyes. At least it meant he was no longer shocked.

"_Draco, oh I know you're no good for me_

_But I take this risk for the chemistry_

_Cause as a bad boy, you're always catching my eye! _

_(ooh way, ooh way, ooh wah!)" _

As she finished her song she let a small smile play at her lips and was surprised but happy to see him return it. "So… you think I'm a bad boy, huh?" She giggled softly and nodded her head, while holding his gaze steady.

"I know how you feel about Hermione, but I was hoping I could steal your thoughts away from her. She's nothing special. But I want to be with you, I love how comanding you are, how noble you look. I would be much better for you." As she spoke, Ginny realised that their faces were getting closer and closer. Her heart was pounding hard against her chest, she could hear it as well as feel it and wondered if he too could hear it's fast-paced beat. He hadn't replied to her comment and she was beginning to worry.

"I-I know boys are supposed to ask but… w-would you be my date to the Yule Ball? I don't care what others say about the pairing and I would hope that someone as commanding and proud as yourself wouldn't care either." She could tell that he was giving this notion some serious thought. His gaze wondered everywhere as he thought this through. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he allowed his gaze too meet hers, staring deep into her eyes with a slight but barely noticable sneer.

"Okay," he said quietly. "I'll go to the dance with you, but if anyone asks, it was you that asked me, not the other way around. Are we clear? I don't want anyone thinking that I willingly asked you to go to this ridiculous dance. You mention anything otherwise and I swear you'll regret it." Ginny nodded vigorously and watched as he smirked. Before she could say anything else, he gently pushed her back a step and left the way he and Blaize had come without a backward glance. Ginny sighed heavily but with a smile at her lips. She was going to the Yule Ball with Draco Malfoy. Oh those bad boys!

******Fifth Interval** - Stay patient and enjoy your popcorn…

Songs featured in this Chapter –

Playing with the Big Boys – From 'The Prince of Egypt' Movie Soundtrack

Lost Without You – By Robin Thicke

Bad Boys – By Alexandra Burke

Disclaimer – I didn't make up any of these characters or songs. They belong to JK Rowling and the artists that are listed below. I've simply changed a few words… doesn't make it mine. ^_^ Feel free to search for the instrumental versons on Youtube and you can sing my slightly changed lyrics along with them. It's fun.


End file.
